1. Field
This disclosure relates to a tactile display apparatus, and more particularly to a tactile display apparatus for providing tactile sensation by operating stimulating pins contacting the skin and a tactile display method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a haptic device is used for giving kinesthetic feedback or tactile feedback to a user. The sense of touch may be greatly classified into kinesthetic feedback and tactile feedback, in which the kinesthetic feedback gives shape or hardness data of a substance and the tactile feedback gives data about surface roughness and feeling of material of a substance.
In the early stage of development, haptic devices realizing kinesthetic feedback were mainly developed, but, recently, devices giving tactile feedback are actively developed.
The transfer of tactile information has a significant meaning as a new information transfer method, nonexistent in the past, and interaction between a person and a computer, and it may be utilized as an important interface means in human-computer interaction (HCI) or human-robot interaction (HRI).
A haptic device realizing kinesthetic feedback provides kinesthesia mainly for remote control of a robot or work in virtual reality. A representative haptic device (PHANToM—Sensible Co.) realizing kinesthetic feedback was developed for interacting with Virtual Reality Environment, and this device can provide 3 Degree of Freedom force feedback to the user's hand to feel outer shape of the virtual object or stiffness of the object. However, this haptic device is not suitable for realizing surface tactile information of virtual reality or a remote substance.
Accordingly, many studies have been made to overcome the limits of existing tactile feedback transfer devices and to realize the sense of touch on the skin of a human. Skin stimulating methods used for realizing the sense of touch on the skin are greatly classified into a mechanically stimulating method and an electrically stimulating method.
First, the electrically stimulating method is advantageous with respect to low energy consumption, rapid response, small volume, continuous contact with the skin, and relatively less malfunction caused by fewer motions. However, the electrically stimulating method may not easily realize a precise sense of touch on the skin only using electrical stimulations, and it may cause an unpleasant feeling or local pains to users.
The mechanically stimulating method is used to stimulate the skin by operating pins with a linear actuator. However, the existing mechanically stimulating method should use as many pins as possible for precise sense of touch, which increases volume and is thus not helpful for decreasing a size. Also, the existing mechanically stimulating method uses a linear actuator, so it is difficult to minimize gaps among pins, which has a limit in exhibiting more precise sense of touch.